President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Tuesday that Türkiye will expand cooperation with Nigeria in counterterrorism, military training and intelligence, as the two countries signed nine agreements aimed at strengthening political, economic and security ties during the visit of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking to journalists at a joint news conference after meeting President Tinubu at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Erdoğan described Nigeria as a strategic partner with whom Türkiye maintains close coordination on key issues affecting the Islamic world, including Palestine, through platforms such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the D-8.
“We stand with the brotherly people of Nigeria in their fight against terrorism. We reviewed opportunities for closer cooperation in military training and intelligence,” he said.
Erdoğan said the leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, education, energy and the defense industry, noting that his 2021 visit to Nigeria laid the groundwork for expanding ties. He emphasized the “strong political will” on both sides, pointing to the presence of senior Nigerian officials in Tinubu’s delegation as a sign of commitment.
Following one-on-one and delegation-level talks, the two nations signed nine accords covering diplomacy, education, media, women’s affairs, halal accreditation, diaspora cooperation and military collaboration.
The agreements include a military cooperation protocol, a memorandum on media and communication, a pact establishing the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), and memorandums between the diplomacy academies of both foreign ministries, among others.
